UN adds al-Nusra in Syria to sanctions blacklist

UNITED NATIONS 
The U.N. Security Council has agreed to add Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida linked opposition force fighting in Syria, to the U.N. sanctions blacklist.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said none of the 15 council members objected to adding al-Nusra as an alias of al-Qaida in Iraq by the deadline Thursday.

The mission said the decision by the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida will be officially published on Friday, subjecting al-Nusra to a global arms embargo and asset freeze.

Al-Nusra has emerged as the most effective and organized opposition fighting force against President Bashar Assad's government. It joined ranks with al-Qaida in Iraq in early April.

On May 16, the U.S. State Department designated al-Nusra leader Muhammad al-Jawlani as a "global terrorist," subjecting him to U.S. sanctions.